D&D 5E (2024) When are we getting announcements for 2026 books?

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Dark Sun always struck me as a place more for anti-heroes or for adventuring despite the status quo - trying to stay out from under the eyes of the Sorcerer Kings. Though the Prism Pentad seems to somewhat counter that sentiment...

If Dark Sun is getting a 5E update, it's not going to be an edgelord take. That's way too likely to blow up in their faces.

Battling the extremely awful status quo in the setting and leaning into the climate change of it all seems much more likely.

 

[Stormonu]

If Dark Sun is getting a 5E update, it's not going to be an edgelord take. That's way too likely to blow up in their faces.

Battling the extremely awful status quo in the setting and leaning into the climate change of it all seems much more likely.

Yeah, that seems likely. If we get it (and I still have my doubts), I'd have to take a long, hard look at it. I like the original boxed set, didn't like the revised set and was indifferent to the 4E version. In the post-Tasha age, WotC's been really hit or miss with campaign material.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Other option could be an adventure working like a hidden pilot episode for a spin-off. Maybe the faction from "the black Spine" module are causing troubles in some place, and the PCs have to visit and explore the "city of spires", the region of Tyr/Athasian tablelands and a third zone that would be the spin-off where the new PC species and creatures could appear.

 

[bedir than]

With MtG revisiting Strixhaven I'm hoping we'll get an update to that D&D setting.

Some of that book was really well done (all the non-adventure stuff)

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

With MtG revisiting Strixhaven I'm hoping we'll get an update to that D&D setting.

Some of that book was really well done (all the non-adventure stuff)

I would love for them to just double down on it as a D&D setting, rather than as a mini-campaign. Give it the Van Richten's approach, in other words, and make a new book complimentary to the first (and avoid admitting it missed the mark).

We* were all rooting for you, Strixhaven!

* Me. I was rooting for you.

 

[bedir than]

I would love for them to just double down on it as a D&D setting, rather than as a mini-campaign. Give it the Van Richten's approach, in other words, and make a new book complimentary to the first (and avoid admitting it missed the mark).

We* were all rooting for you, Strixhaven!

* Me. I was rooting for you.

Building out the social system rather than the simple on-off switch they used would be excellent.
Tiny chapter on the two sports
Using their modern microadventure technique to demo magic school in D&D concepts

Eberron would be a great model to follow for it

 

[Remathilis]

If Dark Sun is getting a 5E update, it's not going to be an edgelord take. That's way too likely to blow up in their faces.

Battling the extremely awful status quo in the setting and leaning into the climate change of it all seems much more likely.

@Steampunkette presented an idea of a hopepunk version of Dark Sun. Basically, a world where things are so bad there is no where to go but up. I think that sort of tone would be true to the intention (a harsh world that is full of danger) without resorting to the "it's pointless to change things, so get yours before you die" edgelord stuff the old 90s setting was infamous for. A world that can't be made good, but can be made better. Where cruelty is not accepted as just a part of life. The kinda place the common folk will help you, not just rat you out to the templars for an extra ration of water.

Like I said, WotC has a huge mountain to climb to fix Dark Sun, but if their was any setting that I personally don't care gets the retcon hatchet job, it's this one.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

@Steampunkette presented an idea of a hopepunk version of Dark Sun. Basically, a world where things are so bad there is no where to go but up. I think that sort of tone would be true to the intention (a harsh world that is full of danger) without resorting to the "it's pointless to change things, so get yours before you die" edgelord stuff the old 90s setting was infamous for. A world that can't be made good, but can be made better. Where cruelty is not accepted as just a part of life. The kinda place the common folk will help you, not just rat you out to the templars for an extra ration of water.

Like I said, WotC has a huge mountain to climb to fix Dark Sun, but if their was any setting that I personally don't care gets the retcon hatchet job, it's this one.

They could also just avoid the retcon issue by spinning the globe of Athas and give us an area only mentioned in the past, but not described, ideally on the far edge of previously detailed areas, so there's still some continuity.

So this city state still has a tyrant seeking ascension, and that wilderness is on danger of complete collapse but can still be saved, etc. All of which doesn't directly impact Tyr.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

If Dark Sun is getting a 5E update, it's not going to be an edgelord take. That's way too likely to blow up in their faces.

Battling the extremely awful status quo in the setting and leaning into the climate change of it all seems much more likely.

If WotC puts out a Dark Sun that is mostly about:

A) Fighting ultra-oppressive billionaire/dictator-type badguys (which is exactly what Dark Sun is about)

and

B) Anthropogenic climate change (or dracoanthropogenic lol)

In the current US political climate (which we obviously cannot discuss lol), even if they cut all the slavery and so on, that would genuinely increase my respect for them a bit.

My expectation is much lower than that. My expectation is they tone down the setting way, way, way beyond anything we've imagined. And it'll basically just be a game that's kinda desert planetary romance themed, but where there are good guy and bad guy cities, where the bad guys are not all "oppressive dictator" types, but a diverse and yet extremely cowardly-ly designed bunch of generic-ish evildoers (one of whom will be a slaver, but not the rest, so they can say "We mentioned slavery, we said it was bad!!!"). And that the climate-change being caused primarily by the exact people who are in charge and the sort of people like them? Oh that'll be gone, it's be a vague "magical disaster" which sorta-loosely-implicates maybe some of the bad guys, but doesn't hard-connect them. < pukes extensively >

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

If WotC puts out a Dark Sun that is mostly about:

A) Fighting ultra-oppressive billionaire/dictator-type badguys (which is exactly what Dark Sun is about)

and

B) Anthropogenic climate change (or dracoanthropogenic lol)

In the current US political climate (which we obviously cannot discuss lol), even if they cut all the slavery and so on, that would genuinely increase my respect for them a bit.

My expectation is much lower than that. My expectation is they tone down the setting way, way, way beyond anything we've imagined. And it'll basically just be a game that's kinda desert planetary romance themed, but where there are good guy and bad guy cities, where the bad guys are not all "oppressive dictator" types, but a diverse and yet extremely cowardly-ly designed bunch of generic-ish evildoers (one of whom will be a slaver, but not the rest, so they can say "We mentioned slavery, we said it was bad!!!"). And that the climate-change being caused primarily by the exact people who are in charge and the sort of people like them? Oh that'll be gone, it's be a vague "magical disaster" which sorta-loosely-implicates maybe some of the bad guys, but doesn't hard-connect them. < pukes extensively >

Boy, I hope not. Smashing oligarchs who are destroying the planet for their selfish gain would be a great look for D&D in 2026.